Untitled - African American History

ABOLITION OF THE SLAVE-TRADE. clxiii
of the trade and the system. George Fox, and his co-
workers on either shore of the Atlantic, early recognized
the fact that God was no respecter of persons, and that
the souls of Africans were redeemed by a Saviour's
blood, as well as those of the descendants of Japhet. It
was not surprising then that their zeal should become a
fanaticism upon this subject, that has continued to the
present day. 1
As already observed, the American colonists were the
first people, through their legislative bodies, to seek to
put an end to the trade with the colonies. E"o religious
zeal, nor Quixotic crusades for universal liberty, prompted
but a sincere self-interest, which dictated
them to act ;
this policy, as a preventive against an overflowing black
population. The trade, however, was too valuable to
British merchants, and too profitable to the British
treasury, and hence the royal assent was repeatedly
refused. 2
We have already seen the action of the Continental
Congress, in 1776, and the subsequent adoption into the
Constitution of the United States, of the clause limiting
the importation to the year 1808, if Congress should see
proper. Before the time arrived, viz., in 1807, Congress
availed itself of the power granted, and passed an act
prohibiting the farther importation of slaves. Before
that time, however, Georgia, in 1798, by virtue of her
own State sovereignty, incorporated into her State Con-
stitution, a prohibition of future importation
1
into that
By the laws of Barbadoes, passed 1696, negroes were prohibited from
attending the meeting of Quakers, under a penalty of IQL, to be recovered
of any Quaker present. If the negro belonged to the Quaker, he was
forfeited. See Plantation Laws (1704), p. 249. In 1663, Virginia prohibited
the introduction of Quakers, under a penalty of 5000 Ibs. of
tobacco upon the captain of the vessel. Ibid. 52.
2 This was inserted in the original draft of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, as one of the grievances of the Colonies, but was stricken out,
at the instance of the delegation from Georgia.